Kentucky Wildcats Opponent Preview: Youngstown State Penguins

After scheduling the game back in 2018, it's finally time for Youngstown, Ohio native Mark Stoops to welcome his hometown team down to Lexington to take on the Wildcats. On Sept. 17, the Youngstown State Penguins will enter Kroger Field in what will be Kentucky's third game of the season, one week removed from a pivotal early matchup in Gainesville against the Florida Gators. 

Last Meeting 

This will be the first time ever that the Penguins and Wildcats will have squared off on the gridiron. While that may be the case, and Stoops largely being the reason for the matchup happening in the first place, the yearly FCS game hasn't always been a gimme for UK. 

Flashback to just a year ago, and the Cats found themselves down two points to the upset-minded Chattanooga Mocs in the fourth quarter. Following a 31-yard Izayah Cummings touchdown, Tyrell Aijan sealed the deal with a 95-yard pick six, saving Kentucky from what would have been the worst loss in the Stoops era, certainly derailing an eventual Citrus Bowl winning campaign. 

Offensive Player Spotlight 

The Penguins return both their starting quarterback and running back from a year ago. Demeatric Crenshaw hurled just six touchdowns as a freshman last season, but he did even more damage on the ground, rushing for 599 yards and seven scores. Jaleel McLaughlin is the top option in the Youngstown offense, as he returns for his senior season following a 1,139-yard, 12-touchdown junior year. Bryce Oliver is the top returnee at receiver, as he tallied eight scores despite catching only 24 passes in 2021. 

Defensive Player Spotlight 

Youngstown State returns just one of its top five tacklers from last season, in junior linebacker Griffin Hoak. The Dublin, Ohio native started all 10 games last season, notching 92 tackles (62 solo), including seven tackles-for-loss and six sacks. It gets shaky afterward, as the Penguins return just two other players who collected 40 or more total tackles a year ago. The defense was a sour note last go-round, as the team allowed an average of 35.4 points-per-game, giving up less than 30 points just three times, a large reason for the 3-7 record in 2021.

Preseason Prediction

Just because there's a tiny bit of a connection to Stoops, doesn't mean the head coach has forgotten about what transpired against Chattanooga a year ago. Penguins may be on the endangered list, but that isn't going to stop the Cats from feasting on their FCS opponent, especially if it's following a week-two loss to Florida. Kentucky 55, Youngstown State 17